Dianne Cmor
As Associate University Librarian, Teaching and Learning, Dianne oversees several services in the Library that support teaching and learning, and works to integrate information resources and information/digital literacy into the university's curricular and co-curricular programs. She stifles a big belly-laugh whenever people say that being a librarian must be a nice, quiet job ...
Sessions in which Dianne Cmor participates
Tuesday 24 February, 2026
Opening remarks followed by keynote: Bodies in the loop - Rethinking AI through embodied practice and small data
Sessions in which Dianne Cmor attends
Wednesday 25 February, 2026
In this session, I’ll share how I used local large language models (Llamma, Qwen, and GPT) to automatically summarize prospect interaction records. The goal was to keep data secure while making it easier to understand and analyze. I’ll show how the models were tested and refined using both AI and human feedback, and how the final process was automated with Python and Windows Task Scheduler. The results feed directly into Power BI dashboards, turning complex text data into clear, actionable in...
This session explores how to build custom Google Gemini Gems tailored to your unique needs. You will learn how to personalize an AI assistant using persona, task, context, and output-format parameters to deliver accurate, situation-aware responses. We will also compare this recent approach with earlier technologies such as the IBM Watson Assistant used to build an Activity Recommender in Moodle LMS, to highlight improvements in flexibility and ease of integration.
I'd like to kick off a conversation on neuro-symbolic AI by sharing a personal project. In it, I build a knowledge graph using thesis metadata available as open data from the institutional repository. One of the questions it helps answer is: who has supervised theses on various topics of interest? This will be a show-and-tell session, and I hope it sparks a dialogue around symbolic AI and its potential applications at Concordia.
Transform live PowerPoint presentations or training sessions into flexible, self-paced learning experiences. In this session, you’ll learn how to create interactive PowerPoint slides that reinforce understanding and maximize learner engagement.
Walkthrough of Copilot, our institutional tool that ensures data security. We'll quickly explore how to access it, use it, and build with it.
If you’d rather not share your data with mysterious servers in faraway places, this session might be for you. We’ll start by clarifying what “open source” means and highlighting a few open-source LLMs. You’ll learn the key differences between locally run and cloud-based models, and why those differences matter for privacy and security. Then we’ll introduce Ollama, a simple tool that makes it easy to download small language models and run them locally. We’ll wrap up with a step-by-step demo on...
I propose a hands-on exploration of AI tools for transcription and translation paired with a dynamic conversation about the function, efficacy, and ethical implications of these technologies. By combining demonstration and practice with reflective discussion, this workshop will both empower participants to effectively engage with AI tools for transcription and translation and contribute to broader efforts to establish whether and how these tools should be deployed for research and productivit...
This session explores Concordia’s guidelines surrounding generative AI, including the importance of Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs), data classification, and contractual safeguards when using platforms like Microsoft Copilot or ChatGPT. Learn practical strategies to prevent unauthorized data use, comply with Quebec’s privacy laws, and align with Concordia policies and guidelines. Gain actionable insights to balance innovation with ethical, secure practices—empowering the community to use AI...
This presentation will provide best practices and tips for using Microsoft Teams Planner and the content scheduler applications to enhance project collaboration and team coordination. Drawing from our recent experience working together on the cross-collaborative Shuffle Advisory Committee, which included members from various units across the university, we will share how these tools helped us streamline tasks, improve communication, and stay organized. We will also showcase how we’ve integrat...
Have you ever asked yourself "if only I could put together a little video for this", but you were unsure how to go about it? In this session, let's go over some basic tips on how to create a simple narrated animation video using two common tools: PowerPoint and Clipchamp. We probably won't win an Oscar with this, but it might help us in a pinch!
This session introduces the Concordia University community to NotebookLM as a collaborative tool that streamlines research and academic operations by centralizing sources, comparing documents, and extracting clear, evidence-informed insights. Using a case study on identifying recommendations and best practices for Responsible AI, participants will see how shared notebooks enhance teamwork and reduce duplication when working with complex documentation. The session also highlights essential lim...